Pneumatic pick-up



.H. S. HORNBECK. PNEUMATIC PICK-UP. APPLICATION HLEDJULY 22,1920.

Patented Dec. 6

4 rmnuErs L Q INVENTOR y warren jsrarss PATENT HENRY S. HORNBECK, F UNION HILL, NEW JERSEY.

PNEUMATIC PICK-UP.

r 1,399,483.. r Application filed Jul 22,

p which the following is a specificatiomreference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

In the operation of pneumaticpress feeders, in which each sheet of paper to be fed to the press is lifted by one or more pneumatic or suction pick-ups from a pile of sheets, it sometimes happens that the second sheet is picked up or at least displaced along with the top-most sheet, as the result, it may be, of cohesion between the sheets, or of electrical conditions, or of the formation of a partial vacuum between the sheets by the initial separation of the two sheets. It is the object of this invention to improve the construction of such pick-up fingers so as to prevent this occurrence andto assure the complete separation of the top-most sheet from the second sheet without displacement of the second sheet. To this end the suction pick-up is provided with a projection, extending slightly beyond its working face, whioh,.acting through the top-most sheet, holds the second sheet down and inplace during the initial lifting of the top-most sheet and its separation, around the point of pressure, from the second sheet. The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated and in which-.

Figure l is a view in vertical section of so much of a pneumatic press feeder as is necessary to enable the application thereto of the improved pick-up to be understood.

Fig. 2 is a detail view, on a larger scale, in transverse section, of the improved pickup, showing its relation to the pile of sheets after it has moved into working position but before suction is applied.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the same partly in elevation and partly in section on a plane at right angles to that of Fig; 2, a portion of the tube being shown in elevation and partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a partial detail view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the relation of the pickup to the top-most and second sheets after suction has been applied to the pick-up but sweeten of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1920.. Serial No. 398,119.

piclcup has begun.

The feeder or mechanism to which the pick-up, for purposes of illustration, is shown as applled, is in general such as that shown and described in an application of the present applicant for Letters Patent of the United States for improvements in feeders for printing presses, etc, Ser. No. 2,6995%, filed December 31, 1918. To enable the present Invention to be understood, it is suffcient to say that the lifter or lifters, or pickups and their operating devices may be supported by a suitable casing a, each suction cup. or pick-up b (of which there may be several), being supported by and in commu moation with a pipe 6, connecting through a pipe 5 in a vertical plane with a horizontal pipe Z1 The last named pipe is movably supported in a swinging frame or can rier c and is connected through an air way and flexible tube 0 and controlling devices 0 with the main wind-way or suction box a, which is connected to any suitable means for creating suction or vacuum. The pipe 6 is oscillated in its bearing in the carrier 0 through suitable connection witha bellows e and the carrier 0 is itself actuated through suitable connections toa bellows 7', whereby the movement of the tube 6 and pickup b to the working or pick-up position and in transporting the sheet, when picked up, to the place of delivery is eifected. lit will be understood that the air connections between the pick-up b and the suction box are suitably controlled so that suction is applied to the pick-up as soon as it reaches its working or pick-up position, indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and is released as soon as the pick-up reaches the delivery position.

As shown, the suction cup or pick-up b is formed with the pipe 7) and is connected therewith internally through a bore bflwhich communicates preferably with an enlarged recess 6 in the working face of the pick-up. If constructed as already described, without the improvement to be described, the application of suctionto the piclcup would lift the topmost sheet of the pile and would often lift with it the second sheet, as stated above. To prevent this action there is provided in working relation with the face of the pick-up a projection b, which extends slightly beyond the plane of the working face of the pick-up, sufficiently to hold the topmost sheet down at the point of contact and therefore to hold the second sheet down also at' the correspondingpoint, when the suction is 'firs t applied to the pick-up." The extent of projection, however, is not suflicient to prevent the suction from lifting the top-most sheet into contact With the Working meter the pick-up and therefore, as shown in F ig. 4, to separate thetop-most sheet slightly from the second sheet inthe vicinity of the point of contact of the projection with'the top-most sheet, thereby initiating the sepa ration: of the top-most sheet from the second sheet before the. transporting movementjof the pick-up beginsand Whilethe secondsheet is held inposition-by. the pressure of the proection. The pro ectioncan be'arranged in any convenlentrelation with respect to'the Working face of the pick-up, provided it is in relatively closeproximity to such working face'and in action is in rigid relation therewith, but is preferablyarranged centrally with respect to the recess If, that is, within the boundary thereof, and is carried by a screw threaded rod 6 adjustably supported in the pick-up by a threaded sleeve 7/" and nut 12, so that the extent of the projection beyond the working face of the pick-up can beregulated to suit different conditions of use. IhWlll be understood, however. that variouschanges can be made in the form of the pick-up and in the form and arrangement of the projection to suit different conditions.

- I claim as my invention:

The combination with a suction pick-up having a reeess in its working face of a rod extended centrally through the recess and projected rigidly beyond the plane of the working face and within the boundary thereof.

This specification signed this 19th day of Ju1 ,A. D. 1920.

- HENRY S. HORNBECK. 

